Challenge Rules

Friday, 28 February 2014

Thank
you so much to all those who played along with our seventh challenge
- Repeat Stamping. We were absolutely delighted that so many of you played
along with this one, considering what a short time you had!

The DT were blown away by the standard of the entries, but there can only be one winner! That honour goes to.........

If the Winner could Email me (just click the 'posted by' name at the bottom of the post),
then I can pass on all the details about the prize, publication and of
course the Guest DT slot! Top Three, please Email me for your winners
buttons to display on your blogs! For anyone else who
would like to, please feel free to grab the button below....

A
huge THANK YOU to all those of you that took part in our repeat stamping challenge!

Don't forget, we are now going monthly! The first Friday of every month will see the start of the next challenge.... so check back on the 7th of March to see which technique we would like you to have a go at!

***STOP PRESS!***
pssst.... a little birdie told me that Katy will be announcing the new Take It, Make It DT members here on Monday........can't wait!!!

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

We are looking for submissions for our Ready, Set, Stamp feature on the following themes for forthcoming issues of Craft Stamper. If you've always wanted to see YOUR card in print, now is your chance!!!

AUGUST 2014 ISSUE

Words, Words, Words: Let
your greeting or sentiment take centre stage on these general cards.

Colours = Mustard,
Royal Blue, Turquoise

Deadline for submissions = 1st April 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014 ISSUE

Ladies’ Night: Cards
featuring stamps of ladies/women.

Colours = Rose
Pink, Soft Pink and Mauve

Deadline = 1st April 2014

Please email your submissions to cs@traplet.com

We are looking for new and unpublished work ONLY please

Please put 'Ready Set Stamp' followed by the theme in the subject line

Please note that due to the number of submissions it's not possible to contact every entrant individually - if you have not heard from us within one week of the closing date please try again next time

Guidelines:

Please
make cards only for this gallery

Cards which are selected need to be posted to the Craft Stamper offices in the UK

This call IS open internationally

Note that we do choose artwork as it arrives, so please don't wait until the last minute to submit if your cards are ready

Cards will be returned at our expense, along with a complimentary copy of the magazine in which your card features. Note this can take approx. three month

All
cards should be suitable for an intermediate crafter to complete in around 20 minutes including drying time. Please keep your cards simple and remember
that you may be a quicker than average worker

Please
follow both the theme AND the colour scheme when creating your cards.The
colour scheme is a guide only – you don’t have to be exact but try to be as
close as possible. You can use the colours in any proportions to suit your
design as long as all three are used. You can add black, white and metallics to
any of the schemes

Text
for this article is required (don't worry - it is short!) and should be entered into the document provided – this will be sent to you if you are selected

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Hello and welcome to a brand new series on the blog - it's Joanne here, guest posting for this monthly feature where we'll be introducing members of the Design Team.

Most of the designers whose work you see in the magazine are freelancers who are kept in order by the lovely folk at Craft Stamper HQ! Having lots of people on the team helps to make sure there's a broad range of projects and styles to suit a variety of stampers.

Our first designer is R Maria Sabina - known to many online as Lollyrot - whose style combines lots of detail with a dash of whimsy and great use of colour. I'll let her introduce herself and a few of her favourite projects...

I'm R.Maria Sabina,a young designer and crafter from Romania. I
joined the Craft Stamper family in 2013 and I'm really enjoying it!My stamping story began in 2009 when I bought my very first
craft tools from Spain, and slowly discovered the creative community on-line, on Youtube.

In Romania
we don’t really have crafty/ scrapbooking shops and this is really difficult
when you need quick crafty supplies. Working as a baby sitter in Spain
I had the opportunity to buy my very first basic tools: paper trimmer, crafty scissors and cardstock.

Favourite project #1: This creation is really important to me because the little rabbit is
actually from my very first rubber stamp collection, manufactured by
Stampotique.

Q: Do you have a signature style or favoutie technique?A: I love colouring stamped images, but sometimes I wish I would
just go for bold stamping for a sweet and romantic look. However
colouring stamped images remains my signature.

I’ve tried copics, promarkers and colouring pencils. I
must say Inktense pencils are my favourite! You can blend and work with them
much better and the result is always beautiful. To get the best results, you
must find the right colouring media and paper. You must practise, practise and
again practise to get the best colouring. Favourite project #2: I love mystical stories and the Victorian Era. It's such a
beautiful inspiration to create interesting creations with a secret
message.

A: My little brain is pretty busy with so many different ideas. I find
inspiration in so many things you would never think of. Mostly when I
start a creation, I always think of the message I want to express and
that comes from my state of mind at the time.

As a designer, I think it’s very important to create something and
inspire others. It’s not enough to buy supplies and just put them together. You
must come up with something unique because the crafty community is like a new
TERRA and we all want to be different and inspire others. Find your own style! Favourite project #3: I'm
not a Valentine's day fan but every time I work with these birds I just
feel really happy, and remember that we all have a soul-mate in this
beautiful world.

I would like to create
things as my full time job and I’m working on it. But I need baby steps to work on
my dream. My dream is not just to stay in my crafty corner and post creations
on my personal blog. I want to have my own studio where I can create beautiful
things and later on, workshops where I can do and share more ideas. Sometimes
you need courage to fight for your dreams. And I can only get that courage from
the people who really admire and respect my work. So here is my advice. If you
have a passion, fight for it and prove to everyone that you can do it and you can
live a happy and respectful life. Don’t
be afraid if you live in a small town, like me. If you have a story and talent,
you can build your own happy land.

Big thanks to Lollyrot for sharing her projects and stamping story with us in this first DT spotlight - I hope you've enjoyed finding out a little more from one of the faces behind the scenes! If you'd like to see more of Lollyrot's lovely work, you'll find her blog {here}.

Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Design Team member Helen Chilton reviews her favourite stamping product and tells us why she still loves Stampbord! Read on to get the inside scoop...

Now I know Stampbord has been around for quite a while, but I still love using it. I remember the excitement it caused when it first appeared on the craft market – as before it had been aimed at the fine art market and sold in larger pieces.

For me one of the best things about Stampbord is the way you can add highlights to your work just by scratching into the fine white clay covering. On other surfaces, the only way to add highlights is by using a white pen or paint, masking fluid or bleach, yet with Stampbord you can etch in minute details, varying the lines with the different scraper tools specifically designed for the purpose.

It stamps beautifully because the surface is so smooth and you can colour it with whatever you like. Alcohol inks give a really vibrant effect but you can just as easily use dye inks, paint, coloured pencils and more.

I love creating tiny works of art using collage stamps - ink up the stamp with a permanent inkpad and press the Stampbord down onto the part of the image you want. Instant art without the fuss of masking! Then you can just etch away to your heart's content: link pieces together, make bag charms, key rings, jewellery, whatever takes your fancy.

Here I've made a little piece of wall art using Crafty Individual stamps and alcohol inks. I find Crafty Individual stamps particularly good for Stampbord as their collage images tend to be very detailed, a good size and beautifully drawn. There are lots of different elements within this one image: background, text, pattern, lace, focal point etc.

I've used three colours of Ranger Alcohol Ink - Sunshine Yellow, Watermelon and Raspberry. Drop some yellow in the middle then some red and pink around the edges and let the inks run together. If it's too dark, add a couple of drops of blending solution to the mix or dab up some of the ink with an old baby wipe.

Let it dry completely before stamping the Spring Bird collage CI-357. I have found that the easiest way to choose the part of the stamp you want is to cut an aperture in a piece of paper the size of your Stampbord tile and use this window to place over parts of the image. Remember, if you're going to add eyelets for hanging, you don't want them going right through the middle of your focal point, so leave enough space at the top.

When the image is dry, you can then start etching. If you want to you can add a different colour back into the etched areas - I've added yellow into the flower centres. Then spend a happy hour choosing embellishments to complement your art work.

Friday, 14 February 2014

It was great to see all your entries for our ombré challenge, we can't wait to see what you all come up with for this one!

What Can You Win?

For this challenge,we have two fabulous stamps from Visible Image

PLUS:The Design Team will have a look at all your gorgeous work, and choose
their Top Three..... and the overall Winner will get published in Craft
Stamper magazine! Yep, the winning
entry will appear in the UK's number one stamping magazine!

AND: We
have decided to add another little incentive into the pot! Our winner
will be the featured Guest Designer for the midway reminder post for the
next challenge! So, to recap....Two stamps, publication AND a Guest DT spot? Sounds good to me!

Now for the Challenge details!
We want to see how you lovely lot tackle a technique showcased in Craft
Stamper
magazine.

Lydia Brooke Evans has a beautiful card project in the March issue,
using a great stamping technique we can all have a go at, stamping in repeat patterns with a small stamp!
So, we would love to see your creations using The Repeat Stamping Technique.....your
project can
be anything at all, card, layout, 3D item etc, any theme or colour, AS
LONG AS YOU HAVE USED THE REPEAT STAMPING WITH A SMALL STAMP TECHNIQUE ON THERE SOMEWHERE!

To
give you a little inspiration, some of the Craft Stamper Design Team have
come up with some rather fabulous projects to share...(if you click on the
artists name, it will take you to their blogs, where there may well be loads
more pics of these gorgeous creations!)

All you need to do now is have a read through the boring (but essential!) rules
and guidelines, then upload your entry using the Linky tool at the end of
the post! Can't wait to see what you create!

And now..... an announcement!
From March, we will be taking this challenge monthly! That's right, the first Friday in every month will see the start of a new Take it, Make It Challenge, so make sure you make a note in your diary!
With the brand new monthly challenges starting in March, challenge seven will be a *lot* shorter than normal! So don't delay, get creating with those small stamps and make some repeating patterns!

Do you love our challenges as much as we do? Feel free to grab the button and display it with pride!

Winner to be announced in a
blog post here: 9am Friday February 28th 2014

All entries must feature the repeated stamping with a small stamp technique. No digi stamps please, unless
combined with actual stamping.

The winning entry MUST be
posted to the magazine for photography before it can be published. Please
keep hold of your entry, we cannot publish in the magazine images sent via
computer.

Entry is via the linking
tool at the end of the post. We are very sorry that we can't accept email
entries to this challenge. Please provide deep links to your actual
project post, not just a link to your blog (to do this, click
on the title
of the relevant blog entry and copy/paste the URL in the relevant
box when uploading your entry). When judging many entries, the DT do not
have time to go searching your entire blog for the project we want to
see!

No backlinking.

New work
only please, not work previously published anywhere else.

Entry is welcome from
anywhere in the world.

Multiple entry is fine, as
long as each piece is original and fulfills all the entry requirements.

Entries can be combined
with other blog challenges, as long as a link back to the Craft Stamper
challenge is included in your blog post.

The March 2014 challenge will
be announced here on Friday March 7th 2014, at 9am.

PLEASE consider turning off word verification on your
blog. It is very difficult for the DT to comment on as many blogs as we would
like to when word verification slows us down!

Competition rules: Competitions/giveaways are
open to all (including overseas readers) except employees of Traplet
Publications Ltd and their families; regular contributors to any of Traplet
Publications’ magazines; employees of our printers; or anyone connected with
the prizes offered. By entering the competition you accept that your project
may be printed in the magazine. All entries must be received by midnight on the
specified closing date. There are no cash alternatives and prizes are
non-transferable. We reserve the right to use the winners’ name/work in any
Traplet-produced literature including, but not exclusive to, our website and
marketing materials. Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be
entered into.******UPDATE- 25/02/14 WE ARE AWARE PLAYERS ARE HAVING TROUBLE LINKING UP, THE DT WILL VISIT ANY LINK LEFT IN A COMMENT! LINKS ALREADY POSTED ARE WORKING, DESPITE THE LACK OF THUMBNAIL! ********

If the Winner could Email me (just click the 'posted by' name at the bottom of the post),
then I can pass on all the details about the prize, publication and of
course the Guest DT slot! Top Three, please Email me for your winners
buttons to display on your blogs! For anyone else who
would like to, please feel free to grab the button below....

A
huge THANK YOU to all those of you that took part in our ombré
challenge, and we can't wait to see what you come up with for our next one.
You don't have to wait long for that either, check back here on FRIDAY
this week for the big reveal!

Thursday, 6 February 2014

I'm so excited to share with you today that I now have a regular slot here on the Craft Stamper Magazine blog- starting today I will be posting on every first Thursday of the month sharing with you further ideas I have on the article I have in that months magazine issue. In the February issue I shared with you a technique for adding dimension and shine to balloons. Using the same method as seen in the magazine I created the balloons for this card......

I thought it would be fun to add another stamp set into the mix, so as well as the Mama Elephant 'Up & Away' set that was featured in the article I have used Wplus9 'Heartfelt Holidays'. I love mixing and matching sets as you can create new and exciting looks that give your stamp sets a fresher look.If you have created something that was inspired by my article I would totally love to see it... so if you would like to leave a link to your project in the comments section (or even over on my blog) I'll pop on over and take a look.Hugs, Lydia xxx

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

We are looking to recruit a dedicated design team for our Take It, Make It Challenge, which will soon be going monthly!!!

You need to be able to:

-Commit to making a STAMPED piece of artwork to a specified theme each month (for six months initially);
-Be able to take a good photo of your work for inclusion on the blog (this doesn't have to be pro standard but it does need to be clear, in crisp focus, and reasonably well lit);
-Subscribe to or be able to purchase Craft Stamper so you can see the project upon which the theme is based;
-Have a reasonably active blog;
-Be prepared to promote your challenge artwork on your own blog, on Facebook and other outlets with which you have involvement;
-Be able to turn your artwork around promptly with relatively short notice (a couple of weeks).

You get to have your art featured on our blog alongside the regular CS DT and we will link your artwork back to your personal blog. We will also include your blog details on our sidebar.

If you want to be part of the Craft Stamper family then please send THREE examples of your best stamped work to cs@traplet.com by the end of February! Good luck!